Methods and systems for configuring automatic media playback settings

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are provided for configuring automatic playback settings on a media playback device. A graphical user interface displays automatic playback settings and receives selections of customized settings for automatic playback. The settings can include context granularity for automatic playback, limiting autoplay to when the media playback device is connected to a wireless network, and activating an audible notification when automatic playback of media content is beginning. An initial queue of media content is selected for playback on the media playback device. The system ascertains whether autoplay is enabled for a particular situation. If autoplay is enabled, the system automatically generates a queue of media that is related to the initial queue and initiates playback on the media playback device after the initial queue concludes.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/224,340, filed 18 Dec. 2018, and which application is incorporatedherein by reference. To the extent appropriate, a claim of priority ismade to each of the above disclosed applications.

BACKGROUND

Music streaming services have made it easy and convenient for users toaccess a plethora of different types of media content easily. The mediacontent can include music, podcasts, news programs, videos, TV shows,audio books and the like. Many services provide access to a large medialibrary of content without requiring the purchase of individual mediafiles or downloading any of those files. Users can stream media contentto almost any device that can connect to the internet and output audioand/or video.

Access to such a large library of media content can be overwhelming. Itcan be difficult for users to select the music they want to listen toand, as a result, media streaming providers often provide playlists orqueues of media content.

Once selected content has been played, often the playback of mediacontent ends, requiring the user to once again select further mediacontent in order to continue listening. This continual need to selectnew content can decrease the users enjoyment.

SUMMARY

In general terms, the present disclosure relates to configuringautomatic media playback settings. In one possible configuration and bynon-limiting example, a media playback device is configured toautomatically generate queues of media content based on a media contextcategory that the media playback device was playing. Various aspects aredescribed in this disclosure, which include, but are not limited to, thefollowing aspects.

One aspect is a computer implemented method for configuring automaticplayback settings on a media playback device. The method begins bydisplaying a graphical user interface that includes a plurality ofselectors for enabling and disabling automatic playback of mediacontent. Each of the selectors corresponds to a media context category.Selections of one or more of the selectors are received to enable atleast one media context category for autoplay. A selection of mediacontent is received for playback on a media playback device. The mediacontent is an initial queue of media content items. The initial queue ofmedia content items is retrieved and played on the media playbackdevice. A first media context category corresponding to the initialqueue of media content items is ascertained. It is then determinedwhether the first media context category is enabled for automaticplayback of media content. Upon determining that the first media contextcategory is enabled for automatic playback of media content, an autoplayqueue of media content items is retrieved. The autoplay queue of mediacontent items is related to the initial queue of media content items.Upon concluding playback of the first queue of media content items,playback of the autoplay queue of media content items is automaticallyinitiated.

Another aspect is a system for configuring automatic playback settingsfor queues of media content. The system includes a media deliverysystem. The media delivery system includes a media data store, a mediastream service, a media application interface, and an autoplay engine.The media data store is configured to store media content. The mediastream service is configured to stream the media content to a mediaplayback device. The media application interface is configured topresent a plurality of media playback options on a display of the mediaplayback device. The autoplay engine includes a granular control module,an autoplay settings data store, and an autoplay queue generator. Thegranular control module is configured to receive selections of automaticplayback settings, that enable or disable automatic playback of anautoplay queue for each of a plurality of media context categories. Thegranular control module is further configured to ascertain a mediacontext category corresponding to an initial queue of media contentbeing streamed from the media stream service, and determine whether themedia context category is enabled for automatic playback.

Yet another aspect is one or more computer-readable media havingcomputer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed byone or more computing device, cause the computing devices to perform thefollowing steps. A graphical user interface is displayed on a display ofthe media playback device. The graphical user interface includes anautoplay toggle selector for enabling and disabling automatic playbackof a second queue of media content after a first queue of media contenthas concluded. The graphical user interface further includes two or morecontext toggle selectors for enabling and disabling automatic playbackbased on a media context category. Upon receiving a selection to enableautomatic playback, the selection is stored in an autoplay settings datastore.

In another aspect, a computer-implemented method for configuringautomatic playback settings on a media playback device is provided. Themethod comprises: displaying on a media playback device a graphical userinterface comprising at least one selector, the selector being operableto enable or disable playback of the audible notification to indicatethat playback of the initial queue has concluded and playback of theautoplay queue will begin; receiving input at the selector to enableplayback of the audible notification; receiving a selection of mediacontent for playback on the media playback device, the media contentcomprising an initial queue of media content items; retrieving andplaying the initial queue of media content items on the media playbackdevice; determining that the audible notification selector is enabled;upon concluding playback of the initial queue of media content items,playing an audible notification on the media playback device;automatically retrieving and initiating playback of an autoplay queue ofmedia content items on the media playback device, the media contentitems of the autoplay queue being related to the media content items inthe initial queue.

In another embodiment, a computer-implemented method for configuringautomatic playback settings on a media playback device is provided. Themethod comprises: displaying a graphical user interface comprising atleast one selector having a first state and a second state, the firststate disabling automatic playback of media content when the mediaplayback device is not connected to a wireless network and the secondstate enabling automatic playback of media content regardless of whetherthe media playback device is connected to a wireless network; receivinga selection of media content for playback on the media playback device,the media content comprising a first queue of media content items;retrieving and playing the first queue of media content items on themedia playback device; determining whether the selector is in the firststate or the second state; when determined that the selector is in thefirst state, ascertaining whether the media playback device is connectedto a wireless network; when determined that the selector is in thesecond state or that the selector is in the first state and the mediaplayback device is connected to a wireless network, retrieving a secondqueue of media content items, the second queue of media content itemsbeing related to the first queue of media content items; and uponconcluding playback of the first queue of media content items,automatically initiating playback of the second queue of media contentitems.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system for configuring automatic playbacksettings on a media playback device.

FIG. 2 illustrates a detailed block diagram of the media playback deviceof the system shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of the media deliverysystem of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method of configuringautomatic playback settings of media content.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a detailed example method ofreceiving selections to adjust settings for automatic playback of mediacontent.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example display for configuring automatic playbacksettings of media content on a media playback device.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method of playing mediacontent items on a media playback device.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of an example method of ascertaining whetherautomatic playback is enabled for the media content context of the firstqueue.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example data table that could be referenced by thegranular control module.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example display presented on a media playbackdevice for configuring automatic playback settings.

FIG. 11 illustrates another view of the display on the media playbackdevice.

FIG. 12 illustrates another view of the display on the media playbackdevice.

FIG. 13 illustrates a method of customizing playback of media contentitems one a media playback device.

FIG. 14 illustrates a method of customizing playback of media contentitems one a media playback device.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example display of a GUI on a media playbackdevice.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example display of a GUI on a media playbackdevice.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example display of a GUI presented on a mediaplayback device for controlling playback of media content providedthrough a media streaming service.

FIG. 18 illustrates another example display of a GUI presented on amedia playback device for controlling playback of media content providedthrough a media streaming service.

FIG. 19 is a flow chart of an example method of determining an autoplayqueue of media content.

FIG. 20 is a table of example queue types that can be selected for anautoplay queue of related media content.

FIG. 21 illustrates an example display of an initial queue of mediacontent items.

FIG. 22 illustrates another view of the example display of the initialqueue of media content items of FIG. 21 followed by an autoplay queue ofmedia content items.

FIG. 23 illustrates a GUI that could be shown on the display device ofthe media playback device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 24 illustrates another view of the example display of the initialqueue of media content items of FIG. 21 followed by an autoplay queue ofmedia content items.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to thedrawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts andassemblies throughout the several views.

As used herein, the term “media content” refers to audio content, videocontent, and combinations thereof. Examples of audio content includesongs, albums, playlists, radio stations, podcasts, audiobooks, andother audible media content items. Examples of video content includemovies, music videos, television programs, and other visible mediacontent items. In many cases, video content also includes audio content.

The term “queue” refers to a playlist or upcoming lineup of mediacontent items that will be played on a media playback device. A queuecan be a list of finite length. Alternatively, a queue can becontinually updated to generate new media content items for the list asthe queue is played.

The term “track” refers to a single media content item such as a song.

The term “radio” as used herein refers to a queue of media content thatis generated by a media content streaming service. The queue istypically generated based on a seed song, artist, album, playlist, orgenre. Media content items are selected for the “radio station” based onsimilarities of attributes of the seed.

The term “media context” refers to the category of media queue. Thereare multiple varieties of queues of media content. For example,categories of media queues can include playlists, albums, artists,genres, and songs. The media context refers to the type of relationshipthat exists between one or more media content items.

An automatic media playback service or “autoplay” service automaticallygenerates media content for playback without additional input from theuser. In some embodiments, the automatically generated media content issimilar to what a user has just consumed.

A user selects a queue of media content items to listen to, such as analbum by a particular artist, and that album plays through the musicstreaming service. The user would like to keep listening to similarmusic once that album has concluded, but the user does not want to thinkabout choosing more music to listen to and would prefer for the systemto automatically choose additional media content to listen to after thatalbum has concluded. For example, if a user has selected a playlistentitled “Beach Party” to play while at a beach party, the user isunlikely to wish to have to select additional music to play once thatplaylist has ended. The user is enjoying the party and does not want tospend time finding another appropriate playlist. However, due to thelarge selection of music available, users don't necessarily wish torepeat the same content that they have just listened to.

Essentially, the autoplay service will choose media content that issimilar to what the user was just listening to. In this example, theuser might have been listening to a particular album by a particularartist. The autoplay system might then automatically start playback of adifferent album by the same artist. There are numerous methods by whichthe autoplay system could generate additional media content.

In one example, the new autoplay queue is generated using radioalgorithms. 40 dimensional methods and personalized user vectors areutilized to select media content items that are related to a seed. Theseed can be a song, an artist, an album, a playlist, or a genre. Theradio queue could be steered using thumbs up or thumbs down to influencefuture songs that are selected. The queue of radio songs could also bepersonalized to the particular user's vector.

In another method of generating automatic playback, a playlist can beselected that is similar to the context that the user was just listeningto. The playlist could be selected based on an overlap of artists and/orsongs with the original music context. In the example of the userlistening to a particular album by a particular artist, auto-play couldthen select a curated music playlist that includes songs from thatartist and album. In other examples, the playlist could be selectedbased on a similar genre and other musical attributes. In someinstances, the playlists are selected for co-occurrence and includesongs that the user is likely to enjoy based on past listening history.

A variety of factors can be considered in selecting the media for theautoplay queue. For example the acoustic elements of the most recentlyplayed songs that were selected by the user could be used to match tothe new autoplay media content. External attributes and user attributescould also be utilized. Playlist co-occurrence or playlist extendercould be utilized. The autoplay queue of media content items is selectedbased on at least one attribute associated with the initial queue ofmedia content items. Example attributes include one or more acousticelements of media content items in the first queue; a user preference; ageographic location; a time of day; and an external attribute.

In some instances, the autoplay feature might query the user todetermine if the user has a preference between two or more queues ofmedia content to begin playback after the initially selected que hasconcluded. For example, the autoplay system might present two differentcurated playlists for the user to choose from. After a predeterminedamount of time, such as ten seconds, the system could automaticallyselect a default playlist for the user.

A user can access settings associated with the user's account to selectwhether or not the autoplay service is enabled. First, the user canselect to enable autoplay or disable autoplay. If autoplay is disabled,no automatic queues of media content will be generated if selected mediacontent queues conclude. If autoplay is enabled, the previouslydescribed automatic queues of related media content will be generated.

The user can enable or disable the autoplay feature by selecting asettings icon on a user interface and then selecting to turn on or offautoplay with a selector such as a toggle. In some instances, theautoplay feature could be turned on or off without accessing a settingsinterface. In some instances, the user can make selections for enablingautoplay with more granularity with respect to the media context.

Categories of media context can be presented on a user interface to theuser for selection to enable or disable auto-play for that particularcontext. Categories of media context can include songs, albums, artists,playlists and radio stations. Categories of media context for othertypes of media contents such as audio books or videos could includeepisodes, series, or individual videos or clips.

Another setting that can be enabled or disabled is an audiblenotification. Users are alerted when the automatic playback service goesinto effect. For example, a user may wish to be notified when the mediacontent that the user selected is concluding playback and when mediacontent that is automatically selected is beginning playback. This canalso be controlled in a settings menu. The audible notification can beturned on or off with a selector, such as a toggle.

Another setting that can be enabled or disabled is an option to disableautomatic playback when the media playback device is not connected to awireless LAN. A user may not wish to have continual media streaming whenthe streaming device is connected to a data network that could incuradditional charges for data use. However, the user may wish to utilizean automatic playback feature when a wireless local area network (WLAN)connection is available that does not incur additional charges. This canalso be controlled in a settings menu. This feature can be turned on oroff with a selector, such as a toggle. When the automatic playback isenabled and the “wifi only” setting is turned off, automatic playbackwill be enabled regardless of a wifi connection. When the automaticplayback is enabled and the “wifi only” setting is turned on, automaticplayback will initiate only when the media playback device is connectedto a WLAN.

FIG. 1 illustrates an overview of example system 100 for configuringautomatic playback settings on a media playback device. A user U isoperating a media playback device 102. The media playback device 102includes a graphical user interface (GUI) shown on a display 104. Themedia playback device 102 communicates with a network 108 that is alsoin communication with a media delivery system 112. The media deliverysystem 112 includes an autoplay engine 114. The media delivery system112 operates to provide media content for playback on the media playbackdevice 102. In some examples, the media content is provided by streamingthrough the network 108. In other examples, media content iscommunicated through the network 108 to the media playback device 102,where it is saved or cached for later playback.

The autoplay engine 114 includes a granular control module 116, anautoplay queue generator 118, an autoplay settings data store 120, anaudible notification module 122, and a wifi control module 124. Thegranular control module 116 operates to present a graphical userinterface such as the one shown in the display 104 a. Selections arereceived from the user U through the GUI to enable automatic playback ofmedia content based on selected media contexts. The selections arestored in the autoplay settings data store 120.

The WiFi control module 124 operates to detect when the media playbackdevice 102 is connected to a WLAN such as a WiFi network. The WiFicontrol module 124 also records user input for the WiFi only setting anddetermines whether it is enabled or disabled. Thus, the WiFi controlmodule 124 determines whether a WiFi connection is required to initiateautoplay and then, if the WiFi connection is required, determineswhether the media playback device 102 is connected to WiFi. In someembodiments, the WiFi control module 124 also communicates with the WiFicontrol module 124 to determine that the wireless network to which themedia playback device 102 is connected has sufficient signal strength tosupport streaming of media content items.

The audible notification module 122 operates to detect when an initialqueue of media content items is going to conclude playback and when anautoplay queue of media content items is about to begin playback. Theaudible notification module 122 plays an audible notification or alertsound in between the end of the last media content item of the initialqueue and the beginning of the first media content item of the autoplayqueue.

The settings data store 120 operates to store selections that arereceived for various autoplay settings.

The autoplay queue generator 118 operates to generate a queue of mediacontent that is provided to the media playback device 102 after aninitially selected queue of media content has ceased. The autoplay queuegenerator 118 selects a new queue of media content based on variousfactors of the initial queue of media content. An example of the newmedia content queue is displayed in 104 b, following the conclusion ofthe initial playlist “Summer Acoustic.”

FIG. 2 illustrates a detailed block diagram of the media playback device102 of the system 100 shown in FIG. 1. The media playback device 102 isin communication with a network 108.

The network 108 is a data communication network through which the mediaplayback device 102 and the media delivery system 112 can communicate.The network 108 typically includes a set of computing devices andcommunication links between the computing devices. The computing devicesin the network 108 use the links to enable communication among thecomputing devices in the network. The network 108 can include one ormore routers, switches, mobile access points, bridges, hubs, intrusiondetection devices, storage devices, standalone server devices, bladeserver devices, sensors, desktop computers, firewall devices, laptopcomputers, handheld computers, mobile telephones, vehicular computingdevices, and other types of computing devices.

In various embodiments, the network 108 includes various types ofcommunication links. For example, the network 108 can include wiredand/or wireless links, including cellular, Bluetooth, ultra-wideband(UWB), 802.11, ZigBee, and other types of wireless links. Furthermore,in various embodiments, the network is implemented at various scales.For example, the network 108 can be implemented as one or more vehiclearea networks, local area networks (LANs), metropolitan area networks,subnets, wide area networks (WAN) (such as the Internet), or can beimplemented at another scale. Further, in some embodiments, the network108 includes multiple networks, which may be of the same type or ofmultiple different types.

In the example of FIG. 2, the media playback device includes a userinput device 130, a display device 132, a wireless data communicationdevice 134, a media content output device 140, a power supply 144, apower input device 146, a processing device 148, and a memory device150.

The user input device 130 operates to receive a user input forcontrolling the media playback device 102. As illustrated, the userinput can include a manual input 154 and/or a voice input 156. In someembodiments, the user input device 130 includes a manual input device160 and a sound detection device 162.

The manual input device 160 operates to receive the manual input 154 forcontrolling playback of media content via the media playback device 102.In addition, in some embodiments, manual input 154 is received formanaging and/or controlling other functions or aspects associated withthe media playback device 102.

In some embodiments, the manual input device 160 includes one or moremanual control elements configured to receive various manual controlactions, such as pressing actions and rotational actions. Such controlelements could be buttons or knobs. In other embodiments, the manualinput device 160 includes a touch screen that accepts gestures made witha user's fingers or a stylus.

The sound detection device 162 operates to detect and record sounds fromproximate to the media playback device 102. For example, the sounddetection device 162 can detect sounds including the voice input 156. Insome embodiments, the sound detection device 162 includes one or moreacoustic sensors configured to detect sounds proximate to the mediaplayback device 102. For example, acoustic sensors of the sounddetection device 162 includes one or more microphones. Various types ofmicrophones can be used for the sound detection device 162 of the mediaplayback device 102.

In some embodiments, the voice input 156 is a user's voice forcontrolling playback of media content via the media playback device 102.In addition, the voice input 156 manages various data transmitted viathe media playback device 102 and/or controlling other functions oraspects associated with the media playback device 102.

In some embodiments, the sounds detected by the sound detection device162 can be processed by the sound processing engine 180 of the mediaplayback device 102 as described below.

Referring still to FIG. 2, the display device 132 operates to displayinformation to the user. Examples of such information include mediacontent playback information, notifications, and other information. Thedisplay device 132 also operates to display graphic user interfaces(GUIs) to facilitate user interaction with the media playback device102. One such GUI is the GUI 184 for the media playback application 182.

In some embodiments, the display device 132 is configured as atouch-sensitive display screen that operates as both a display screenand a user input device. In other embodiments, the display device 132may not operate as a user input device and input is received throughphysical controls on the media playback device 102.

The wireless data communication device 134 operates to enable the mediaplayback device 102 to communicate with one or more computing devices ata remote location. For example, the wireless data communication device134 is configured to communicate with the media delivery system 112 andreceive media content from the media delivery system 112 at leastpartially via the network 108. The wireless data communication device134 can be a wireless network interface of various types which connectsthe media playback device 102 to the network 108. Examples of thewireless data communication device 134 include wireless wide areanetwork (WWAN) interfaces, which use mobile telecommunication cellularnetwork technologies. Examples of cellular network technologies includeLTE, WiMAX, UMTS, CDMA2000, GSM, cellular digital packet data (CDPD),and Mobitex. In some embodiments, the wireless data communication device134 is configured as a cellular network interface to facilitate datacommunication between the media playback device 102 and the mediadelivery system 112 over cellular network.

The media content output device 140 is an interface that enables themedia playback device 102 to play media content. In some embodiments,the media content output device 140 includes an auxiliary (AUX) outputinterface 166 and a wireless output interface 168.

The AUX output interface 166 is configured to connect the media playbackdevice 102 to an external audio output device such as a speaker. Thisconnection can be made through a cable extending from the media playbackdevice 102 to an input jack or port on the external audio output device.The cable can be of various types, such as an analog audio cable or aUSB cable.

The wireless output interface 168 is configured to connect the mediaplayback device 102 to an external audio output device via a wirelesscommunication protocol. In some embodiments, the wireless outputinterface 168 is configured for Bluetooth connection. In otherembodiments, the wireless output interface 168 is configured for othertypes of wireless connection.

The power supply 144 is included in the example media playback device102 and is configured to supply electric power to the media playbackdevice 102. In some embodiments, the power supply 144 includes at leastone battery. The power supply 144 can be rechargeable. For example, thepower supply 144 can be recharged using the power input device 146 thatis connected to an external power supply. In some embodiments, the powersupply 144 is included inside the media playback device 102 and is notremovable from the media playback device 102. In other embodiments, thepower supply 144 is removable from the media playback device 102.

The power input device 146 is configured to receive electric power tomaintain activation of components of the media playback device 102.

The processing device 148, in some embodiments, comprises one or morecentral processing units (CPU). In other embodiments, the processingdevice 148 additionally or alternatively includes one or more digitalsignal processors, field-programmable gate arrays, or other electroniccircuits.

The memory device 150 typically includes at least some form ofcomputer-readable media. Computer readable media includes any availablemedia that can be accessed by the media playback device 102. By way ofexample, computer-readable media include computer readable storage mediaand computer readable communication media.

Computer readable storage media includes volatile and nonvolatile,removable and non-removable media implemented in any device configuredto store information such as computer readable instructions, datastructures, program modules, or other data. Computer readable storagemedia includes, but is not limited to, random access memory, read onlymemory, electrically erasable programmable read only memory, flashmemory and other memory technology, compact disc read only memory, blueray discs, digital versatile discs or other optical storage, magneticstorage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store thedesired information and that can be accessed by the media playbackdevice 102. In some embodiments, computer readable storage media isnon-transitory computer readable storage media.

Computer readable communication media typically embodies computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data ina modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transportmechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term“modulated data signal” refers to a signal that has one or more of itscharacteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode informationin the signal. By way of example, computer readable communication mediaincludes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection,and wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency, infrared, andother wireless media. Combinations of any of the above are also includedwithin the scope of computer readable media.

The memory device 150 operates to store data and instructions. In someembodiments, the memory device 150 stores instructions for a mediacontent cache 172, a caching management engine 174, a media contentprocessing engine 176, a manual input processing engine 178, a soundprocessing engine 180, and a media playback application 182.

Some embodiments of the memory device 150 include the media contentcache 172. The media content cache 172 stores media content items, suchas media content items that have been received from the media deliverysystem 112. The media content items stored in the media content cache172 may be stored in an encrypted or unencrypted format. In someembodiments, the media content cache 172 also stores metadata aboutmedia content items such as title, artist name, album name, length,genre, mood, era, etc. The media content cache 172 can further storeplayback information about the media content items and/or otherinformation associated with the media content items.

The caching management engine 174 is configured to receive and cachemedia content in the media content cache 172 and manage the mediacontent stored in the media content cache 172. In other embodiments, thecaching management engine 174 operates to cache at least a portion ofmedia content into the media content cache 172 while online so that thecached media content is retrieved for playback while the media playbackdevice 102 is offline.

The media content processing engine 176 is configured to process themedia content that is received from the media delivery system 112, andgenerate playback through the media content output device 140.

The manual input processing engine 178 operates to receive the manualinput 154 via the manual input device 160. In some embodiments, when themanual input device 160 is actuated (e.g., swiped or tapped) uponreceiving the manual input 154, the manual input device 160 generates anelectric signal representative of the manual input 154. The manual inputprocessing engine 178 can process the electric signal and determine theinput (e.g., command or instruction) corresponding to the manual input154 to the media playback device 102. In some embodiments, the manualinput processing engine 178 can perform a function requested by themanual input 154, such as controlling playback of media content. Themanual input processing engine 178 can cause one or more other enginesto perform the function associated with the manual input 154.

The sound processing engine 180 is configured to receive sound signalsobtained from the sound detection device 162 and process the soundsignals to identify different sources of the sounds received via thesound detection device 162. In some embodiments, the sound processingengine 180 operates to filter voice input 156 from noises included inthe detected sounds. Various noise cancellation technologies, such asactive noise control or cancelling technologies or passive noise controlor cancelling technologies, can be used for filter the voice input fromambient noise.

In some embodiments, a recording of sounds captured using the sounddetection device 162 can be analyzed using speech recognition technologyto identify words spoken. The words may be recognized as commands thatalter the playback of media content and/or other functions or aspect ofthe media playback device 102. In some embodiments, the words and/or therecordings may also be analyzed using natural language processing and/orintent recognition technology to determine appropriate actions to takebased on the spoken words.

The media playback application 182 includes a GUI 184 and an autoplayengine 186. The GUI 184 includes an autoplay switch 188. The autoplayengine 186 includes a granular control module 190, an autoplay queuegenerator 192, an autoplay settings data store 194, an audiblenotification module 196, and a wifi control module 198. The mediaplayback application 182 operates to present a graphical user interface184 on the media playback device 102 via a display device 132. The mediaplayback application 182 also generates media content to be playedthrough the media content output device 140. In some instances, themedia playback application 182 receives media content through thewireless data communication device 134. The GUI 184 generate aninterface through which a user can select media content to play, adjustsettings for playback, and update user profile information.

The GUI 184 generates an interface through which a user can select mediacontent to play, adjust settings for playback, and update user profileinformation. An example of the GUI 184 is shown on the display 104 ofthe media playback device 102 in FIG. 1. The GUI 184 generates variousgraphical control elements for controlling playback of media content. Inparticular, an autoplay switch 188 is displayed on the GUI 184. Theautoplay switch 188 can be actuated with user input such as a touch orclick. The autoplay switch 188 operates to show the current status ofautomatic playback settings as well as receive input to change thecurrent settings of automatic playback on a media playback device.

The autoplay engine 186 operates to control the automatic generation ofmedia content queues to be automatically played after an initial queueof media content selected by the user has concluded. The autoplay engine186 includes a granular control module 190, an autoplay queue generator192, an autoplay settings data store 194, an audible notification module196, and a wifi control module 198. Some embodiments of the autoplayengine 186 may only include one or two of the modules.

The granular control module 190 operates to receive selections ofautomatic playback settings that enable or disable automatic playback ofan autoplay queue. The selections are saved in the autoplay settingsdata store 194. The granular control module then ascertains the mediacontext category corresponding to the initial queue of media content anddetermines whether autoplay is enabled for that context. Uponascertaining that media playback is enabled, the granular control module190 communicates with the autoplay queue generator 192 to generate anautoplay queue of related media content.

The autoplay queue generator 192 operates to generate an autoplay queueof media content items and communicates that queue to the media streamservice. The autoplay queue generator 192 determines an appropriate typeof content for the autoplay queue and then selects media content itemsthat are related to the currently playing initial queue of media contentitems.

The autoplay settings data store 194 operates to save the selections forautomatic playback. The selections can be stored in a table or othersuitable means. The settings can be saved in association with aparticular user account.

The audible notification module 196 operates to provide an audiblenotification to indicate when media playback switches from a userselected initial queue of media content items to an automaticallyselected autoplay queue of media content items. The audible notificationmodule 196 can determine whether an audible notification is enabled ordisabled. In some embodiments, the audible notification can determinewhich type of audible notification should be played. For example, a usercould select a preference for a short tone to be played, a series oftones, or a verbal announcement.

The Wifi control module 198 operates to determine which state a wificontrol selector is in. The Wifi control module 198 also operates todetermine whether there is a wireless connection such as WLAN. The Wificontrol module 198 is similar to the Wifi control module 124 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example embodiment of the media deliverysystem 112 of FIG. 1. The media delivery system 112 includes a mediacontent server 200.

The media delivery system 112 comprises one or more computing devicesand provides media content to the media playback device 102 and, in someembodiments, other media playback devices, as well. In addition, themedia delivery system 112 interacts with the media playback device 102to provide the media playback device 102 with various functionalities.

Although FIG. 3 shows a single media content server 200, someembodiments include multiple media content servers. In theseembodiments, each of the multiple media servers may be identical orsimilar to the media content server 200 as described herein, and mayprovide similar functionality with, for example, greater capacity andredundancy and/or services from multiple geographic locations.Alternatively, in these embodiments, some of the multiple media servers,may perform specialized functions to provide specialized services.Various combinations thereof are possible as well.

The media content server 200 transmits stream media 210 (FIG. 2) tomedia playback devices such as the media playback device 102. In someembodiments, the media content server 200 includes a media serverapplication 212, a processing device 214, a memory device 216, and anetwork access device 218. The processing device 214 and the memorydevice 216 may be similar to the processing device 148 and the memorydevice 150, respectively, which have each been previously described.Therefore, the description of the processing device 214 and the memorydevice 216 are omitted for brevity purposes.

The network access device 218 operates to communicate with othercomputing devices over one or more networks, such as the network 108.Examples of the network access device include one or more wired networkinterfaces and wireless network interfaces. Examples of such wirelessnetwork interfaces of the network access device 218 include wirelesswide area network (WWAN) interfaces (including cellular networks) andwireless local area network (WLANs) interfaces. In other examples, othertypes of wireless interfaces can be used for the network access device218.

In some embodiments, the media server application 212 is configured tostream media content, such as music or other audio, video, or othersuitable forms of media content. The media server application 212includes a media stream service 222, a media application interface 224,and a media data store 226. The media stream service 222 operates tobuffer media content, such as media content items 230A, 230B, and 230N(collectively 230), for streaming to one or more streams 232A, 232B, and232N (collectively 232).

The media application interface 224 includes an autoplay switch 188 anda queue display module 248. The autoplay switch 188 is a graphicalelement that is displayed on a GUI such as the GUI shown in the display104 of FIG. 1 and is operable to receive input to change an autoplaysetting. In particular, the autoplay switch 188 is operable to enable ordisable automatic playback of media content items.

The queue display module 248 operates to display initial queues andautoplay queues on a GUI. The queue display module 248 can indicatewhich track within a queue is currently playing and which tracks arecoming up. An example display generated by the queue display module 248is shown in FIGS. 21, 22, and 24.

In some embodiments, the media data store 226 stores media content items234, media content metadata 236, media contexts 238, user accounts 240,and taste profiles 242. The media data store 226 may comprise one ormore databases and file systems. Other embodiments are possible as well.

As discussed herein, the media content items 234 (including the mediacontent items 230) may be audio, video, or any other type of mediacontent, which may be stored in any format for storing media content.

The media content metadata 236 provides various information associatedwith the media content items 234. In some embodiments, the media contentmetadata 236 includes one or more of title, artist name, album name,length, genre, mood, era, etc.

The media content metadata 236 operates to provide various pieces ofinformation associated with the media content items 234. In someembodiments, the media content metadata 236 includes one or more oftitle, artist name, album name, length, genre, mood, era, etc.

Explicit metadata refers to factual or explicit information relating tomusic. Explicit metadata may include album and song titles, artist andcomposer names, other credits, album cover art, publisher name andproduct number, and other information. Explicit metadata is generallynot derived from the music itself or from the reactions or opinions oflisteners.

At least some of the metadata 236, such as explicit metadata (names,credits, product numbers, etc.), for a large library of songs or trackscan be evaluated and provided by one or more third party serviceproviders. Explicit metadata may include numerical, text, pictorial, andother information. Explicit metadata may also be stored in an XML orother file. All or portions of the metadata may be stored in separatefiles associated with specific tracks. All or portions of the metadata,such as acoustic fingerprints and/or description vectors, may be storedin a searchable data structure, such as a k-D tree or other databaseformat.

Referring still to FIG. 3, each of the media contexts 238 is used toidentify one or more media content items 234. In some embodiments, themedia contexts 238 are configured to group one or more media contentitems 234 and provide a particular context to the group of media contentitems 234. Some examples of the media contexts 238 include albums,artists, playlists, and individual media content items. By way ofexample, where a media context 238 is an album, the media context 238can represent that the media content items 234 identified by the mediacontext 238 are associated with that album.

As described above, the media contexts 238 can include playlists 239.The playlists 239 are used to identify one or more of the media contentitems 234. In some embodiments, the playlists 238 identify a group ofthe media content items 234 in a particular order. In other embodiments,the playlists 238 merely identify a group of the media content items 234without specifying a particular order. Some, but not necessarily all, ofthe media content items 234 included in a particular one of theplaylists 238 are associated with a common characteristic such as acommon genre, mood, or era.

In some embodiments, media content items in a playlist 238 can be playedby selecting the playlist 238 via a media playback device, such as themedia playback device 102. The media playback device then operates tocommunicate with the media delivery system 112 so that the mediadelivery system 112 retrieves the media content items identified by theplaylist 238 and transmits data for the media content items to the mediaplayback device for playback.

In some embodiments, the playlist 238 includes a playlist title and alist of content media item identifications. The playlist title is atitle of the playlist, which can be received through inputs on a mediaplayback device 102. The list of content media item identificationsincludes one or more media content item identifications (IDs) that referto respective media content items 234.

The user accounts 240 are used to identify users of a media streamingservice provided by the media delivery system 112. In some embodiments,a user account 240 allows for authentication before providing access tothe media delivery system 112. In some embodiments, input for login canbe received at different devices to access data associated with the useraccount in the media delivery system 112. User authenticationinformation, such as a username, an email account information, apassword, and other credentials, can be used to access a user mediastreaming account 240.

The user accounts 240 include data for devices associated with each useraccount. The user accounts 240 data store keeps track of the devicesthat can access the media content server 200 using a particular useraccount. In some embodiments, the user accounts 240 data store recordssettings for autoplay.

The taste profiles 242 contain records indicating media content tastesof users. A taste profile 242 can be associated with a user account andused to maintain an in-depth understanding of the music activity andpreferences associated with a user account. Libraries and wrappers canbe accessed to create taste profiles from a media library of the useraccount, social website activity and other specialized databases to minemusic preferences.

In some embodiments, each taste profile 242 is a representation of mediaconsumption activities. The media consumption activities can include awide range of information such as artist plays, song plays, skips, datesof listen, songs per day, playlists, play counts, start/stop/skip datafor portions of a song or album, contents of collections, rankings,preferences, or other mentions received via a client device, or othermedia plays, such as websites visited, book titles, movies watched,playing activity during a movie or other presentations, ratings, orterms corresponding to the media, such as “comedy”, “sexy”, etc. Inaddition, the taste profiles 242 can include other information. Forexample, the taste profiles 242 can include libraries and/or playlistsof media content items associated with the user account.

The taste profiles 242 can be used for a number of purposes. One use oftaste profiles is for creating personalized playlists (e.g., personalplaylisting). An API call associated with personal playlisting can beused to return a playlist customized to a particular user account. Forexample, the media content items listed in the created playlist areconstrained to the media content items in a taste profile associatedwith the particular user account.

Yet another use case is for personalized recommendation, where thecontents of a taste profile are used to represent an individual's taste.This API call uses a taste profile as a seed for obtainingrecommendations or playlists of similar artists.

A taste profile 242 can represent a single user account or multipleusers' accounts. Conversely, a single user account can have multipletaste profiles 242. For example, one taste profile can be generated inconnection with media content play activity of a user account, whereasanother separate taste profile can be generated for the same useraccount based on the selection of media content items and/or artists fora playlist.

The autoplay engine 202 includes a granular control module 116, anautoplay queue generator 118, and an autoplay settings data store 120.Each of these components operates in the same way as those in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method 400 ofconfiguring automatic playback settings on a media playback device.

At operation 402, selections are received that enable automatic playbackof media content. The selections can be received through the GUI 184 ofFIG. 2. Inputs can be received through the user input device 130.Receiving selections of autoplay settings is further described in FIGS.5-6.

At operation 404, an initial queue of media content is played. Theinitial queue of media content has a particular media context, such as aplaylist, album, song, or artist. The first queue of media contentincludes at least one media content item such as a song. The first queueof media content is played through the media playback device 102 using amedia content output device 140.

At operation 406, it is ascertained whether automatic playback isenabled. Automatic playback can be enabled or disabled generally, orparticular settings can be applied to govern whether automatic playbackwill occur after an initial queue of media content concludes playback.The autoplay engine 114 in FIG. 2 or the autoplay engine 202 of FIG. 3operates to ascertain whether automatic playback is enabled. Thisprocess is further described in FIGS. 7 and 9.

At operation 408, an autoplay queue of related media content isdetermined. This occurs upon ascertaining that automatic playback isenabled. The autoplay queue of related media content is determined bythe autoplay queue generator 118 of FIG. 1 and/or FIG. 3. The autoplayqueue can also be generated by the autoplay queue generator 192 of FIG.2. The autoplay settings data store 120 includes selections of autoplaysettings that can be accessed by the autoplay engine 114 to determinewhether to generate an autoplay queue. Methods of determining the secondor “autoplay” queue of media content are further described in FIGS.19-20.

At operation 410, the autoplay queue of media content is automaticallyplayed. Again, the media in the autoplay queue of media content items isplayed through the media playback device 102 using the media contentoutput device 140.

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 402 of receivingselections to adjust settings for automatic playback of media content.At operation 420, a GUI including selectors for enabling or disablingautomatic payback of media content is displayed. The GUI is displayed ona display device 132 of the media playback device 102 of FIG. 2. The GUI184 is part of the media playback application 182. An example display ofthe GUI is shown in FIG. 6.

At operation 422, a selection is received to disable automatic playback.This disables automatic playback of media content in any situation. Insome embodiments, the GUI will hide any other autoplay options if theautomatic playback switch is disabled. In other embodiments, the GUIwill disable the other autoplay option toggles when automatic playbackis disabled, but they will remain visible on the GUI.

At operation 424, a selection is received to enable automatic playback.The selection can be received as input to actuate a toggle selector. Insome embodiments, enabling autoplay will prompt the GUI to presentadditional options for automatic playback. Examples of such options aredescribed in operations 426, 428, and 430.

Selections of additional autoplay settings are received through a userinput device 130 of the media playback device 102 of FIG. 2. The userinput device 130 can receive manual input 154 through a manual inputdevice 160. An example of a manual input device 160 is a touch screen.

At operation 426, options are presented for automatic playback based onWifi connection. A selector such as a toggle is presented which a usercan enable or disable. When the selector is in a first state, autoplaywill only initiate if the media playback device is connected to a WLAN.When the selector is in a second state, autoplay will initiateregardless of the type of data connection that is made.

At operation 428, options for audible notifications are presented on theGUI. In one embodiment, a user can opt to enable or disable an audiblenotification. The audible notification sounds before the autoplay queueof media content begins to play.

At operation 430, options for automatic playback based on context arepresented. A user can choose to enable autoplay only for certaincontexts. For example, a user could choose that only when the initialqueue is an album or a playlist will autoplay initiate after the initialqueue concludes playback. Toggle selectors for each of a plurality ofcontexts can be displayed to allow for more granularity to be selectedfor autoplay. Example toggle selectors are shown in FIG. 10.

At operation 432, selections of autoplay options are received. Inputsare received through the GUI to select one or more autoplay options tofine tune the autoplay experience.

At operation 434, the selections are stored in a memory device. In someembodiment, these selections can be stored in the autoplay settings datastore 120. In other embodiments, the selections can be stored in withuser accounts 240.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example display 104 presented on a media playbackdevice 102 for configuring automatic playback settings. A GUI is shownon the display 104 entitled “Autoplay.” To reach this view, a selectionfor “Settings” may have been received followed by a selection for“Autoplay Settings.”

An autoplay selector 502 is shown at the top of the display 104. In thisexample, an explanation of Autoplay is provided. The autoplay selector502 is shown as being disabled or off. The selector is positioned to theleft and the selector is darkened. The selector could be lightened ifthe background was white or a lighter color instead of black. In otherexamples, the autoplay selector 502 could be positioned at otherlocations of the display. The selector could be replaced with othergraphical controls or selectors to indicate whether the autoplay featureis enabled or disabled.

Below the autoplay selector 502 is a series of context selectors 504.The context selectors 504 can be enabled or disabled to provide a levelof granularity to the autoplay selections. In the example of FIG. 6,there are four context selectors 504. The “album” selector can beselected to enable autoplay when the media playback device is playing aparticular album. The “artists” selector can be selected to enableautoplay when the media playback device is playing media content by aparticular artist. The “playlists” selector can be selected to enableautoplay when the media playback device is playing a particularplaylist. The “songs” selector can be selected to enable autoplay whenthe media playback device is playing a particular song. In FIG. 6, theselector for “Playlists” is disabled. This is indicated with a darkenedselector color and a position of the selector to the left.

Below the context selectors 504 are additional autoplay settingsselectors 508. The autoplay settings selectors 508 can be used to enableor disable different autoplay features. In the example of FIG. 6, theautoplay settings selectors 508 control audible notifications and datasavings features. These features are described in further detail withrespect to FIGS. 13-16

In the example of FIG. 6, the context selectors 504 and autoplaysettings selectors 508 are displayed in a vertical arrangement below theautoplay selector 502. In some embodiments, the context selectors 504and autoplay settings selectors 508 can be displayed in other positionsrelative to the autoplay selector 502. In some embodiments, the contextselectors 504 and autoplay settings selectors 508 are not displayed ifautoplay is disabled. In other embodiments, the context selectors 504and autoplay settings selectors 508 are dimmed or lightened todeemphasize their appearance if the autoplay selector 502 is disabled.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method 550 of playingmedia content items on a media playback device. In some embodiments,media content is played automatically based on autoplay settingsselected by a user of a media playback device.

At operation 552, an initial selection of a queue of media content itemsis received for playback. The selection can be received through the GUIof FIG. 2. Inputs can be received through the user input device 130. Theinitial queue can be any grouping of media content items such as aplaylist, an album, or other collection of media content items.

At operation 554, the initial queue of media content is retrieved andplayed. The first queue of media content includes at least one mediacontent item such as a song. The media content items are retrieved fromthe media content server. The first queue of media content is playedthrough the media playback device 102 using a media content outputdevice 140.

At operation 556, it is determined whether automatic playback is enabledor disabled. The autoplay engine 114 operates to ascertain whetherautomatic playback is enabled. A user can actuate the autoplay switch190 to control whether automatic playback is enabled. In someembodiments, automatic playback can also be controlled in a settingsmenu for a media streaming service. In some embodiments, autoplay isautomatically enabled by default. In other embodiments, autoplay isautomatically disabled by default. To change from the default setting,the user must select a control to disable or enable autoplay. Examplesof autoplay selectors are shown in FIG. 6.

Operation 558 occurs when automatic playback is disabled. Playback ofmedia content stops after the initial queue of media content itemsconcludes playing.

When automatic playback in enabled, the method proceeds to operation560. It is determined whether a wifi selector is in a first state or asecond state. The wifi selector can be one of the selectors displayed onthe GUI described in FIG. 6. The selection made with the wifi selectorcan be stored in an autoplay setting data store such as the autoplaysettings data store 120 of FIG. 1.

When the wifi selector is in the first state, the method proceeds tooperation 562. It is then determined whether the media playback deviceis connected to a WLAN. This can be performed with the wifi controlmodule 124.

When the media playback device is not connected to a WLAN, the methodproceeds to operation 564. Playback stops after the initial queueconcludes—no autoplay queue plays.

When the wifi selector is in the second state, or when the wifi selectoris in the first state but the media playback device is connected toWLAN, the method proceeds to operation 566. At this point, it isdetermined whether context settings are selected. The context settingsprovide granularity to automatic playback based on the type of mediacontent context of the initial queue.

At operation 568, context settings are selected. It is then determinedwhether automatic playback is enabled for the media content context ofthe initial queue. The process for determining this is described infurther detail with respect to FIG. 8.

At operation 570, it is determined that automatic playback is disabledwith the particular media content context of the initial queue. Playbackstops after the initial queue concludes. No audible notification isplayed.

The method proceeds to operation 572 when automatic playback is enabledfor the media content context of the initial queue or when contextsettings are not selected. The audible notification module 122determines whether the audible notification selector is enabled. Theaudible notification selector settings can be stored in the autoplaysettings data store 120.

The method proceeds to operation 574 when the audible notification isdisabled. When playback of the initial queue concludes, an audiblenotification will not be played.

The method proceeds to operation 576 when the audible notification isenabled. When playback of the initial queue concludes, an audiblenotification will be played.

Finally, at operation 578, an autoplay queue of media content items isautomatically retrieved and playback of the queue is initiated.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of an example method 568 of ascertaining whetherautomatic playback is enabled for the media content context of the firstqueue.

At operation 592, the category of media context playing in the first, orinitial, queue of media content items is ascertained. In someembodiments, this step is performed by the granular control module 116of the autoplay engine 202.

At operation 594, it is determined whether the category of media contextis enabled for automatic playback of media content. The granular controlmodule 116 accesses the autoplay settings data store 120 to determinewhether the context is enabled for autoplay. The granular control module116 may access data in the form of a table, such as the example tabledisplayed in FIG. 9.

At operation 596, an autoplay command is communicated to the autoplayqueue generator 192 if the category of media context of the initialqueue is enabled for autoplay.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example data table 600 that could be referenced bythe granular control module. Each context 610 is recorded with a contextname 602 and context ID 604. The context type 606 is also recorded.Finally, there is a column 608 indicating whether the context is enabledfor autoplay. In this example, artists and playlists are enabled forautoplay while songs and albums are not. The contexts “Backyard BBQ” and“Classical Essentials” are enabled for autoplay because they areplaylists. Similarly, contexts “Skrillex” and “Wiz Khalifa” are enabledfor autoplay because they are artists. Contexts “This Is Acting” and“Focus” are not enabled for autoplay because they are an album and asong, respectively.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example display 104 presented on a media playbackdevice 102 for configuring automatic playback settings. A GUI is shownon the display 104 entitled “Autoplay.” To reach this view, a selectionfor “Settings” may have been received followed by a selection for“Autoplay Settings.”

An autoplay selector 502 is shown at the top of the display 104. In someexamples, the autoplay selector 502 could be positioned at otherlocations of the display. The selector could be replaced with othergraphical controls or selectors to indicate whether the autoplay featureis enabled or disabled.

Below the autoplay selector 502 is a series of context selectors 504.The context selectors 504 can be enabled or disabled to provide a levelof granularity to the autoplay selections. In the example of FIG. 10,there are four context selectors 504. The “album” selector can beselected to enable autoplay when the media playback device is playing aparticular album. The “artists” selector can be selected to enableautoplay when the media playback device is playing media content by aparticular artist. The “playlists” selector can be selected to enableautoplay when the media playback device is playing a particularplaylist. The “songs” tog selector gle can be selected to enableautoplay when the media playback device is playing a particular song. InFIG. 10, all of the context selectors 504 are disabled. Similar to theautoplay toggle 502, this is indicated with a position of the selectorto the left. In the example of FIG. 10, the context selectors 504 aredisplayed in a vertical arrangement below the autoplay toggle 502.

FIG. 11 shows another view of the display 104 on the media playbackdevice 102 after the autoplay selector 502 has been selected to enableautoplay. The autoplay selector 502 is shown as a toggle being moved tothe right and highlighted, indicating that it is enabled. Additionally,all of the context selectors 504 are shown as being enabled in the sameway. In this example, selecting the autoplay selector 502 enablesautoplay for every context. If a user desires to disable autoplay for aparticular media context, the user selects a context selector 504 todisable autoplay for that context. In other examples, the contextselector 504 may need to be individually enabled.

FIG. 12 shows another view of the display 104 on the media playbackdevice 102 after individual context selectors 504 have been disabled. Inthis example, selections have been received to disable the “Playlists”and “Songs” context selectors 504. Thus, automatic playback of anautoplay queue will only commence after an initial queue of mediacontent has concluded if the initial queue is an album or an artist.

FIG. 13 illustrates a method 650 of customizing playback of mediacontent items on a media playback device. In some embodiments, themethod 650 is performed by a media playback device 102, such as a smartphone or tablet computer. Some steps of the method 650 are optional.Different features can be enabled or disabled in an autoplay settingsmenu.

At operation 652, a graphical user interface is displayed on the mediaplayback device. The GUI includes a selector operable to enable ordisable automatic playback of media content items. In some embodiments,the selector is displayed on a settings menu, such as the menu shown inFIG. 6. In some embodiments, the selector for enabling or disablingautomatic playback is a playback switch displayed on a media controlGUI, such as FIG. 17. The playback switch is displayed as a selectableicon. In some embodiments, the selectable icon has a lemniscate shape.The GUI can also include other elements that can be selected or actuatedby user to control playback of media content. For example, the GUI caninclude icons that can be selected to initiate playback of a mediacontent queue, pause playback, skip to the next media content item, orselect a different media content queue.

At operation 654, input is optionally received at the selector to enableor disable automatic playback. In some embodiments, autoplay is enabledby default. In other embodiments, autoplay is disabled by default.Actuating the selector changes the status of autoplay between enabledand disabled. The selection is saved in an autoplay settings data store194.

At operation 656, a selector is displayed on a GUI that has a firststate for disabling automatic playback of media content when the mediaplayback device is not connected to a WLAN and a second state forenabling automatic playback of media content regardless of whether themedia playback device is connected to a WLAN. This selector is useful tocustomize automatic playback options to save data if the media playbackdevice is connected to a wireless network that charges for the amount ofdata that is being used. However, a WLAN connection is likely to be freeof charge, so if the user wants to avoid streaming additional contentafter an initial queue of media content has concluded playback, the usercan select to enable autoplay only when a WLAN connection is present. Insome embodiments, this selector is displayed on a GUI at the same timeas the selector for automatic playback. For example, in a settings menu,such as the settings menu displayed in FIG. 15, there is a selector 502for enabling or disabling autoplay as well as a selector 730 forenabling or disabling audible notification. In some embodiments, aselector for enabling or disabling audible notifications will only bedisplayed when the selector for autoplay is enabled.

At operation 658, input is optionally received at the selector to changethe state of the selector. In some embodiments, the selector will be setto the first state by default, to save on data charges. User input wouldbe required to allow for autoplay to engage even when there is not aWLAN connection. In some embodiments, the selector will be set to thesecond state by default, to enable as much media content to be playedautomatically as possible. In that embodiment, user input would berequired to turn off the autoplay feature when there is not a WLANconnection. The current state of the selector is saved in the autoplaysetting data store 194.

At operation 660, an initial selection of a queue of media content itemsis received for playback. The selection can be received through the GUI184 of FIG. 2. Inputs can be received through the user input device 130.The initial queue can be any grouping of media content items such as aplaylist, an album, or other collection of media content items. In someembodiments, the initial queue consists of a single track.

At operation 662, the initial queue of media content is retrieved andplayed. The initial queue of media content includes at least one mediacontent item such as a song. The media content items are retrieved fromthe media content server 200. The first queue of media content is playedthrough the media playback device 102 using a media content outputdevice 140.

At operation 664, it is determined whether automatic playback is enabledor disabled. The autoplay engine 114 operates to ascertain whetherautomatic playback is enabled. The autoplay engine 114 accesses theautoplay settings data store 120 to determine the current state of theautoplay switch 188.

Operation 666 occurs when automatic playback is disabled. Playback ofmedia content stops after the initial queue of media content itemsconcludes playing.

Operation 668 occurs when automatic playback is enabled. It isdetermined whether the wifi selector is in the first state or the secondstate. Operation 668 occurs some time before the initial queue of mediacontent concludes playing. In some embodiments, operation 668 occursmultiple times while the initial queue is playing in case the wifiselector setting is changed during playback. The Wifi control module 124operates to ascertain whether the wifi selector is in the first state orthe second state. A user can actuate the selector to enable or disable afeature that will only allow playback of an autoplay queue of mediacontent when the media playback device is connected to a WLAN.

When the wifi selector is in the first state, the method proceeds tooperation 670. It is determined whether the media playback device isconnected to a WLAN. The wifi control module 124 of FIG. 1 or the wificontrol module 198 of FIG. 2 operates to determine whether the wirelessdata communication device 134 is connected to WLAN or not.

When the media playback device is not connected to a WLAN, the methodproceeds to operation 672. Playback will stop after the initial queue ofmedia content concludes playback. A user will have to interact with aGUI to initiate playback of additional media content items in order tokeep playing media content on the media playback device 102.

When the wifi selector is in the second state, the method proceeds tooperation 674. When the wifi selector is in the first state and themedia playback device is connected to a WLAN, the method proceeds tooperation 678. In both instances, an autoplay queue of media contentitems is automatically retrieved. The autoplay queue of related mediacontent is determined by the autoplay queue generator 192 of FIG. 2and/or autoplay queue generator 118 of FIG. 3. If the user selects fromtwo or more autoplay queue options, the selected autoplay queue isretrieved. After the initial queue of media content items concludesplaying, the autoplay queue is played. This provides a continuous,uninterrupted stream of media playback. Methods of determining thesecond or “autoplay” queue of media content are further described inFIG. 19.

After operations 674 or 678, the method proceeds to operation 676. Mediacontent items in the autoplay queue automatically play immediately afterthe last media content item in the initial queue has concluded playing.The user of the media playback device 102 does not have to takeadditional action to choose additional media content to play or toprompt the media playback device to continue playing more media content.

FIG. 14 illustrates a method 700 of customizing playback of mediacontent items on a media playback device. In some embodiments, themethod 700 is performed by a media playback device 102, such as a smartphone or tablet computer. Some steps of the method 700 are optional.Different features can be enabled or disabled in an autoplay settingsmenu.

At operation 702, a graphical user interface is displayed on the mediaplayback device. The GUI includes a selector operable to enable ordisable automatic playback of media content items. In some embodiments,the selector can be displayed on a settings menu. In some embodiments,the selector is displayed on a main view of the GUI alongside mediaplayback controls.

At operation 703, input is optionally received at the selector to enableor disable automatic playback. In some embodiments, autoplay is enabledby default. In other embodiments, autoplay is disabled by default.Actuating the selector changes the status of autoplay between enabledand disabled.

At operation 704, a selector is displayed operable to enable or disableplayback of audible notifications. In some embodiments, this selector isdisplayed on a GUI at the same time as the selector for automaticplayback. In some embodiments, a selector for enabling or disablingaudible notifications will only be displayed when the selector forautoplay is enabled.

At operation 706, input is optionally received at the audiblenotification selector to enable or disable audible notifications. Theaudible notifications will sound when an initially selected queue ofmedia content items ends and an automatically selected queue of mediacontent items begins. The audible notification marks the transitionbetween media content selected by the user and media contentautomatically selected for the user. A user can opt to disable suchaudible notifications. In some embodiments, the audible notificationsare enabled by default. In other embodiments, the audible notificationsare disabled by default. In some embodiments, the user can choose apreference for audible tones, melodies, verbal announcements, and asilent, visual notification.

At operation 708, an initial selection of a queue of media content itemsis received for playback. The selection can be received through the GUI184 of FIG. 2. Inputs can be received through the user input device 130.The initial queue can be any grouping of media content items such as aplaylist, an album, or other collection of media content items. In someembodiments, the initial queue consists of a single track.

At operation 710, the initial queue of media content is retrieved andplayed. The initial queue of media content includes at least one mediacontent item such as a song. The media content items are retrieved fromthe media content server 200. The first queue of media content is playedthrough the media playback device 102 using a media content outputdevice 140.

At operation 712, it is determined whether automatic playback is enabledor disabled. The autoplay engine 114 operates to ascertain whetherautomatic playback is enabled. A user can actuate the autoplay switch190 to control whether automatic playback is enabled. In someembodiments, automatic playback can also be controlled in a settingsmenu for a media streaming service. In some embodiments, autoplay isautomatically enabled by default. In other embodiments, autoplay isautomatically disabled by default. To change from the default setting,the user must select a control to disable or enable autoplay.

Operation 714 occurs when automatic playback is disabled. Playback ofmedia content stops after the initial queue of media content itemsconcludes playing.

Operation 716 occurs when automatic playback is enabled. It isdetermined whether audible notifications are enabled or disabled.Operation 716 occurs some time before the initial queue of media contentconcludes playing. In some embodiments, operation 716 occurs multipletimes while the initial queue is playing in case the audiblenotification setting is changed during playback. The audiblenotification module 194 operates to ascertain whether the audiblenotification is enabled.

In some embodiments, the method proceeds to operation 718. Operation 718can occur at substantially the same time as operation 716, before theinitial queue of media content concludes playback. In some embodiments,operation 718 occurs at substantially the same time that the initialqueue of media content concludes playback. Visual representations of twoor more autoplay queue options are displayed on a graphical userinterface of a media playback device. For example, two playlist optionscould be displayed on the GUI 184 of the media playback device 102. FIG.23 shows an example display offering the option of a playlist and radiostation to be used for the autoplay queue. The two options areautomatically generated by the autoplay queue generator 192. In someembodiments, three or more options are displayed. Input is receivedthrough the GUI 184 to select one of the options.

Operation 720 occurs when the audible notification is disabled. Whenplayback of the initial queue of media content concludes, no audiblenotification is played.

Operation 722 occurs when the audible notification is enabled. Whenplayback of the initial queue of media content concludes, an audiblenotification is played. The audible notification can be an alert soundthat is brief in duration. For example, the alert sound could be lessthan 30 seconds, less than 20 seconds, less than 10 seconds, or lessthan 5 seconds in duration. Examples of such alert sounds include beeps,chirps, and chimes. Alternatively, a brief verbal announcement could beplayed. Such verbal announcement could be “Automatic playback will beginnow,” or “Autoplay Initiated!” or simply “autoplay.” The verbalannouncement could also announce the title of the autoplay queue orprovide a description of the autoplay queue that will be played.

At operation 724, an autoplay queue of media content items isautomatically retrieved. The autoplay queue of related media content isdetermined by the autoplay queue generator 192 of FIG. 2 and/or autoplayqueue generator 118 of FIG. 3. If the user selects from two or moreautoplay queue options, the selected autoplay queue is retrieved. Afterthe initial queue of media content items concludes playing, the autoplayqueue is played. This provides a continuous, uninterrupted stream ofmedia playback. Methods of determining the second or “autoplay” queue ofmedia content are further described in FIG. 19.

Media content items in the autoplay queue automatically play immediatelyafter the last media content item in the initial queue has concludedplaying. The user of the media playback device 102 does not have to takeadditional action to choose additional media content to play or toprompt the media playback device to continue playing more media content.

FIGS. 15-16 illustrates an example display 104 presented on a mediaplayback device 102. The display 104 is shown displaying a settings menufor controlling autoplay settings. An autoplay selector 502 can beactuated to enable or disable automatic playback of an autoplay queue ofmedia content items after an initial queue of media content concludesplayback. In the example of FIGS. 15-16, there are also selectors 508for adjusting settings related to automatic playback of media content.These selectors include an audible notifications selector 730, a wifiselector 732, and a user selection selector 734.

In some embodiments, the autoplay selectors 508 are not displayed whenthe main autoplay selector 502 is disabled. In some embodiments, theautoplay selectors 508 are displayed, but cannot be selected when themain autoplay selector 502 is disabled. The selectors 508 can bedisplayed as actuatable toggles. Other visual representations ofselectors are possible such as radio buttons, check boxes, and the like.

The audible notifications selector 730 can be actuated to enable ordisable an alert sound that is played after an initial queue of mediacontent concludes and an autoplay queue of media content is about tobegin. In some embodiments, the audible notifications are enabled bydefault when autoplay is enabled. In some embodiments, options forspecific types of audible notifications may be displayed when theaudible notifications are enabled. For example, a user could select fromoptions for tone, verbal, and silent notifications.

The wifi selector 732 can be actuated to enable or disable autoplaydepending on whether there is a wifi connection. Autoplay can bedisabled when there is not a wireless connection. Alternatively,autoplay could be enabled regardless of whether there is a wirelessconnection.

The “prompt user selection” selector 734 can be actuated to enable ordisable a feature that displays two or more options for autoplay queueson the GUI 184. When the user selection selector 734 is enabled, adisplay of two or more autoplay queue options are presented on the mediaplayback device 102. In some embodiments, this display will occur beforethe initial queue of media content concludes playback. In otherembodiments, the display occurs after the initial queue concludes, butbefore other media content is automatically generated. In someembodiments, the options will displayed at the same time that an audiblenotification is played if the audible notifications are enabled. Thedisplay of options, in some embodiments, is displayed for a limitedperiod of time and if no input of a selection is received, one of theautoplay queue options will be automatically selected and played. Whenthe user selection selector 734 is disabled, no options are displayedand one autoplay queue is automatically selected for playback.

FIG. 15 shows the autoplay settings when autoplay is disabled. FIG. 16shows the autoplay settings when autoplay is enabled. The audiblenotifications selector 730 is enabled, the wifi selector 732 is notselected, and the user selection selector is disabled 734.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example display of a GUI 184 presented on a mediaplayback device 102 for controlling playback of media content providedthrough a media streaming service. The GUI 184 shows a view includinginformation about currently playing media content and controls forcontrolling playback.

The GUI 184 includes playback controls 748 represented by graphicalelements.

Selection of these playback controls allows a user to navigate through aqueue of media content items. The playback controls 748 shown in GUI 184can be used to shuffle playback, skip backward, pause, play, or skipforward. Shown with the playback controls 748 is the autoplay switch750. The autoplay switch 750 corresponds to the autoplay switch 188 ofFIG. 2.

The GUI 184 also includes playlist information 740, artwork 742, mediacontent item information 744, and a playback progress bar 746. More orfewer types of information can be displayed on the GUI 184 during mediacontent playback on the media playback device 102.

The playlist information 740 can include a title of a currently playingqueue of media content items. The author of the playlist or queue canalso be displayed.

The artwork 742 can be displayed to represent the currently playingplaylist or media content item. For example, artwork associated with aparticular album can be displayed when a media content item from thatalbum is being played. In other examples, the artwork 742 could beassociated with the entire playlist and the display will remain the sameas long as the same playlist is playing on the media playback device102.

The media content item information 744 can include a title of the mediacontent item that is currently playing. For example, the title could beof a particular song. The media content item information 744 can alsoinclude the name of an artist. For example, the artist could be amusical artist that performs the song that is currently playing. Inother examples, the title could be of an audiobook and the artist couldbe the author of the book.

The playback progress bar 746 provides a graphical indication of howlong the currently playing media content item is in duration and how farinto the media content item the playback has progressed.

The autoplay switch 750 allows a user to enable or disable automaticplayback of media content after the currently playing queue of mediacontent concludes. It is beneficial to include the autoplay switch 750on the GUI 184 for controlling media playback because a user can easilycontrol the autoplay feature without accessing a separate menu screenfor changing autoplay options or settings.

The autoplay switch 750 in FIG. 17 is shown as being enabled or on. Theautoplay switch 750 could be visually emphasized by changing the colorof the symbol, brightening the display of the symbol, or providinggreater contrast between the symbol and the background of the GUI 184 toindicate that autoplay is enabled. In some embodiments, additionalvisual indicators are displayed to show that autoplay is enabled. Forexample, a dot could appear under the lemniscate icon to indicate thatautoplay is enabled.

WLAN connection indicator 751 indicates that the media playback device102 is connected to WLAN. The wifi control module 198 communicates withthe wireless data communication device 134 to confirm that there is astrong enough signal to support media streaming.

FIG. 18 depicts the GUI 184 as playback shifts from the end of aninitial queue of media content to the beginning of an autoplay queue ofmedia content. The media content output device 140 emits an alert sound752, which in this example is a short “beep” sound. At the same time, amessage reading “Autoplay Initiated!” is displayed briefly on the GUI184 of the media playback device 102. Other visual indications arepossible.

FIG. 19 is a flow chart of an example method 408 of determining asecond, or autoplay, queue of related media content. The method 408 canbe performed by the autoplay queue generator 118.

At operation 758, an autoplay command is received along with adescription of the currently playing queue of media content. Informationregarding the initial queue of media content can be received from thegranular control module 116 with the command. Alternatively, theautoplay queue generator 118 can access information regarding thecurrently playing media context from the media stream service 222.

At operation 760, the media context category of the queue is determined.In some embodiments, this information is included with the autoplaycommand from the granular control module 116.

At operation 762, a method of generating an autoplay queue is selectedthat is appropriate for the media context category of the initial queue.Multiple methods of determining media content items to include in anautoplay queue can be utilized. An example is illustrated and describedin further detail with reference to FIG. 20.

At operation 764, an autoplay command is communicated to the autoplayqueue generator 118. This occurs only if autoplay is enabled for thecurrently playing context. The granular control module 116 issues acommand to the autoplay queue generator 118.

FIG. 20 is a table 800 of example queue types that can be selected for asecond (autoplay) queue of related media content. In this table, x's areplaced for each category of media context 802 to indicate which types ofautoplay queues 804 are appropriate.

Autoplay queues can be set up in a multitude of ways. Such means ofgenerating a queue can include radio stations and playlist based on themedia content that is currently playing. Radio stations can be generatedbased on a song, an artist, an album, or a genre. Radio stations canalso be based on playlists. Radio stations can be personalized to a uservector meaning that the media content of the radio station is customizedbased on a particular user is listening history. Radio stations can alsobe generated based on matching acoustic elements of most recently playedsongs with those that are being generated in the auto play queue. Radiostations continually update with new media content items indefinitely.

Playlists differ from radio stations in that they have a definite numberof media content items. Playlist can be generated to include mediacontent having a common artist or one or more songs. Media content itemsfor playlists can be selected based on acoustic elements of mostrecently played songs. In addition, user attributes can be utilized toaid in selection of media content items. In some instances, the playlistcan be generated based on having a common description with a currentlyplaying playlist. For example if a user is listening to a playlistentitled “Upbeat+Summer Sun,” the autoplay queue may select the playlistentitled summer beats based on common descriptors of the playlist. Anexample of playlist having common artists or songs, the autoplay queuemay utilize a playlist that a user is likely to enjoy based on havingsongs that are by the same artist or include songs that are in thecurrently playing queue. for example, if the user is listening to aninitial queue of music that consists of a particular artist album, theautoplay queue may consists of a playlist of multiple songs by the sameartist.

FIG. 21 illustrates an example display 820 of an initial queue 822 ofmedia content items. The album “High Hope” is currently playing.

FIG. 22 illustrates another view of the example display 820 of theinitial queue of media content items 822 followed by an autoplay queue824 of media content items. The autoplay queue generator 118 hasidentified a radio station (Album Radio-High Hope) based on the album asbeing appropriate media content for an autoplay queue. The media contentitems have been added to the “Now Playing” list.

FIG. 23 illustrates another GUI 830 that could be shown on the displaydevice 132 of the media playback device 102. In this display, a prompt831 is displayed asking a user to select from two autoplay queueoptions. The prompt 831 reads: “Your current playlist has ended. What doyou want to play next?” This prompt 831 can be displayed at the sametime that an audible notification sounds to indicate that the initialqueue of media content has ended. A user of the media playback device102 can select between a first option 832 to play the album radio for“High Hope” or a second option 834 to play a playlist entitled “This isFlorence Machine.” Upon selection, the autoplay queue will beginplayback.

In some instances, if the user does not select one of the options withina predetermined period of time, the system will automatically select oneof the autoplay queues to play. This period of time could be, forexample, 10 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds, 40 seconds, or 50 seconds.After selection, playback begins immediately.

FIG. 24 illustrates another view of the example display 820 of theinitial queue of media content items 822 followed by an autoplay queue824 of media content items. The playlist “This is Florence Machine” wasselected from the options presented in FIG. 23. The media content itemsof the selected playlist have been added to the “Now Playing” list.

The methods and systems above provide the technical advantage ofproviding automatically generated media content for playback on a mediaplayback device such that a user does not have to put much or anythought into selecting media content to play after an initially selectedqueue concludes playback. Users can continue to listen to media contentthat is similar, but still different from what was already playing. Thisis beneficial because users often do not want to interrupt what they aredoing to browse through media content in order to keep media contentplaying. Overall, this disclosure provides the advantage of fewer userinteractions to achieve a media consumption experience that is enjoyablefor the user. This improves the efficiency of a media playback deviceoperating to utilize a media streaming service.

The various examples and teachings described above are provided by wayof illustration only and should not be construed to limit the scope ofthe present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will readily recognizevarious modifications and changes that may be made without following theexamples and applications illustrated and described herein, and withoutdeparting from the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

1. A computer implemented method for configuring automatic playbacksettings on a media playback device, the method comprising: displaying agraphical user interface comprising a plurality of selectors forenabling and disabling automatic playback of media content, wherein eachof the plurality of selectors corresponds to a media context category;receiving selections of one or more of the plurality of selectors, theselections enabling at least one of the media context categories;receiving a selection of media content for playback on the mediaplayback device, the media content comprising an initial queue of mediacontent items; retrieving and playing the initial queue of media contentitems on the media playback device; ascertaining a first media contextcategory corresponding to the initial queue of media content items;determining whether the first media context category is enabled forautomatic playback of media content; upon determining that the firstmedia context category is enabled for automatic playback of mediacontent, retrieving an autoplay queue of media content items, theautoplay queue of media content items being related to the first queueof media content items; and upon concluding playback of the first queueof media content items, automatically initiating playback of theautoplay queue of media content items.
 2. The computer implementedmethod of claim 2, wherein the plurality of selectors comprise togglesfor at least two different media context categories selected from album,artist, playlist, and song.
 3. The computer implemented method of claim1, wherein the autoplay queue of media content items is selected basedon at least one attribute associated with the initial queue of mediacontent items.
 4. The computer implemented method of claim 3, whereinthe at least one attribute comprises one or more of: one or moreacoustic elements of media content items in the first queue; a userpreference; a geographic location; a time of day; and an externalattribute.
 5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein thesecond queue of media content is selected based on a personalized uservector.
 6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein thesecond queue of media content is a playlist of media content itemsselected for overlap with one or more of artists or tracks with thefirst queue of media content.
 7. The computer implemented method ofclaim 1, wherein upon concluding playback of the initial queue of mediacontent items and before automatically initiating playback of theautoplay queue of media content items, playing an audible notificationon the media playback device.
 8. A system for configuring automaticplayback settings for queues of media content, the system comprising: amedia delivery system comprising: a media data store configured to storemedia content; a media stream service configured to stream the mediacontent to a media playback device; a media application interfaceconfigured to present a plurality of media playback options on a displayof the media playback device; and an autoplay engine comprising: agranular control module configured to: receive selections of automaticplayback settings, the selections enabling or disabling automaticplayback of an autoplay queue for each of a plurality of media contextcategories, ascertain a media context category corresponding to aninitial queue of media content being streamed from the media streamservice, and determine whether the media context category is enabled forautomatic playback; an autoplay settings data store configured to savethe selections of automatic playback settings; and an autoplay queuegenerator configured to generate an autoplay queue of media contentitems and communicate the autoplay queue to the media stream service,the media content items in the autoplay queue being related to the mediacontent items in the initial queue.
 9. The system of claim 8, furthercomprising a media playback device comprising: a user input deviceconfigured to receive selections of automatic playback settings, theselections enabling or disabling automatic playback of an autoplay queuefor each of a plurality of media context categories; a display deviceconfigured to present the media application interface; a media contentoutput device configured to play streamed media content; and a mediaplayback application configured to generate a graphical user interfaceon the display for presenting media playback options and receivingselections of commands for playing media content and configuringsettings for media content playback.
 10. The system of claim 8, whereinthe autoplay engine further comprises an audible notification moduleconfigured to detect when an initial queue of media content items isconcluding and play an audible notification to indicate that playback ofan autoplay queue will begin.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein theautoplay engine further comprises a wifi control module configured to:receive selections of automatic playback settings, the selectionsenabling or disabling automatic playback of an autoplay queue dependingon availability of a wireless network connection, detect a wirelessnetwork connection, and determine whether automatic playback is enabledbased on the automatic playback settings and wireless network connectionstatus.
 12. One or more computer-readable media havingcomputer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed byat least one computing device, cause the at least one computing deviceto: display a graphical user interface on a display of the mediaplayback device, the graphical user interface comprising: an autoplaytoggle selector for enabling and disabling automatic playback of asecond queue of media content after a first queue of media content hasconcluded; and two or more context toggle selectors for enabling anddisabling automatic playback based on a media context category; and uponreceiving a selection to enable automatic playback, store the selectionin an autoplay settings data store.
 13. The computer-readable media ofclaim 12, wherein the graphical user interface further comprises atoggle selector being operable to enable or disable playback of anaudible notification to indicate that playback of the initial queue hasconcluded and playback of the autoplay queue will begin.
 14. Thecomputer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the graphical userinterface further comprises a wireless connection toggle selector forenabling and disabling automatic playback based on connection statuswith a wireless network.
 15. The computer-readable media of claim 12,wherein the two or more context toggle selectors are disabled when theautoplay toggle selector is set to disable automatic playback.
 16. Thecomputer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the two or more contexttoggle selectors are hidden when the autoplay toggle selector is set todisable automatic playback.
 17. The computer-readable media of claim 12,wherein the instructions further cause the computing devices to: presenta graphical user interface on the media playback device, the graphicaluser interface displaying visual representations of two or more autoplayqueues for selection.
 18. The computer-readable media of claim 17,wherein the instructions further cause the computing devices to: receiveinput through the graphical user interface indicating a selection of anautoplay queue for playback.
 19. The computer-readable media of claim17, wherein the instructions further cause the computing devices to:automatically select an autoplay queue if no input is received after apredetermined length of time. 20-27. (canceled)